INVESTIGATION OF REASONS FOR PLASTIC SURGERY FOR WOMEN WHO UNDERGO PLASTIC SURGERY

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to determine the reasons why women undergo plastic surgery. It aims to understand the motivations behind their decision to have plastic surgery, evaluate the social and psychological effects of these procedures, and examine women's relationships with their own bodies. A qualitative research model was used in this study. The study group consists of 15 women who have had plastic surgery. Data was collected through the "Semi-Structured Interview Form" developed by the researcher. The data were analyzed using descriptive and content analysis techniques, which are common methods in qualitative research.

АННОТАЦИЯ

Цель данного исследования - определить причины, по которым женщины прибегают к пластической хирургии. Цель исследования - понять мотивы, стоящие за их решением сделать пластическую операцию, оценить социальные и психологические последствия этих процедур, а также изучить отношения женщин с собственным телом. В данном исследовании использовалась модель качественного исследования. Исследовательская группа состоит из 15 женщин, сделавших пластическую операцию. Сбор данных осуществлялся с помощью разработанной исследователем «Формы полуструктурированного интервью». Данные были проанализированы с помощью методов описательного и контент-анализа, которые являются общими методами в качественных исследованиях.

Keywords: Plastic Surgery, Beauty, Body Satisfaction, Aesthetic Perception.

Ключевые слова: Пластическая хирургия, красота, удовлетворенность телом, эстетическое восприятие.

Introduction

Physical and mental health and beauty have always been of great importance to people. The term "aesthetics" is associated with beauty. Aesthetic surgery procedures aim to transform the appearance of a body part, which is generally considered normal, into a form that is perceived as more beautiful in society or in the individual's own mind. This desire for transformation may arise from reasons such as the individual's desire to return to the appearance of their youth or dissatisfaction with their current appearance.

Aesthetic surgery aims to give a young and attractive appearance, especially to certain organs. Such surgical interventions include correcting crooked noses, removing wrinkled foreheads, lifting droopy eyelids, enlarging small breasts, reducing large breasts, and tightening fatty abdominal areas. In general, it aims to provide a beautiful and attractive appearance to those who feel unattractive, while using all its possibilities to give a lively and youthful appearance to bodies that look aged and lifeless [1]. Aesthetic surgery is considered a method that aims to obtain a more balanced and aesthetic appearance by reshaping the existing structures of the body to increase the patient's appearance and self-confidence [2].

While plastic surgery was a more expensive procedure ten years ago, it has now turned into a practice preferred by individuals from various socio-economic levels, especially the middle class. Now, not only celebrities but also ordinary people benefit from this practice and it has become a "lifestyle" [3]. Additionally, having a negative body image is one of the factors that lead people to plastic surgery. Deterioration of mental health can also be added to these factors [4]. Women generally have aesthetic surgeries on their breast, nose, hip, and abdomen areas, and these people use the media as an important source of information before the aesthetic procedure. According to research, it is stated that people who have undergone plastic surgery use the internet, press, and television as more sources of information than those who have had reconstructive surgery [5].

The snowball effect inherent in social media affects both physicians and everyone who is considering aesthetic surgery from a sociological perspective. A boosted post can be instantly shared by thousands of people and reach millions of potential customers within a day. Even if it is noticed that the information in the post is incorrect or the photos have been manipulated, it may not be possible to reach the same people and warn them about the mistakes. This situation can lead to serious information pollution, excessive commercialization of aesthetic practices in the health sector, and victimization, especially in cases where ethical values ​​are not given sufficient importance. Indeed, this situation has reached a point where it can be perceived as a public problem [6].

The expectations and reasons for surgery of patients applying for plastic surgery often differ, so eligibility criteria and patient selection for surgery are of great importance. Some individuals may also have unrealistic expectations and reasons for applying. In this case, unnecessary surgeries may be performed and the success of the surgery may be negatively affected. The presence of psychosocial problems before surgery may increase the risk of postoperative side effects. Therefore, problems can be prevented or reduced with a comprehensive preoperative psychosocial evaluation of individuals, which can increase patient satisfaction [7].

Each of us may have a different definition of beauty. That's why it is said that beauty depends on the perspective of the beholder. However, with a general definition, beauty can be examined as a part of aesthetics, psychology, sociology, and culture; it is considered the aspect of a living thing, object, or an abstract concept that creates perceptual pleasure and delight in the person. However, beauty can manifest itself not only in what we perceive visually, but also in everything we perceive and in abstract concepts [8].

The presence of psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphic disorder in individuals before plastic surgery may cause the recovery period to be prolonged after the surgery, lead to more complications, and result in dissatisfaction with the surgery. When the studies in the literature are examined, it is seen that women today attach great importance to plastic surgeries and frequently resort to these surgeries. Based on these data in the literature, what are the reasons for women who have plastic surgery to have plastic surgery? This question constitutes the problem of this research.

Purpose of the Research: The purpose of this research is to determine the reasons why women undergo plastic surgery.

Method 

In this part of the research, the research model, study group, data collection tools, data collection process, and analysis and evaluation of the data are included. The research model has the characteristics of a qualitative study. A certain number of participants, considered sufficient for the research method, model, and data collection tool, were selected, and these participants constitute the study group of the research.    The study group consists of 15 women between the ages of 18 and 50 in Kyrgyzstan in 2024. The data for the research were collected through the "Semi-Structured Interview Form" developed by the researcher. The data of the study were collected using a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher. The study was analyzed using descriptive and content analysis techniques, which are a type of qualitative data analysis.

Results  

Findings regarding the aesthetics performed by the participants are given in Table 1.

Table 1.

Aesthetics performed

When Table 1 is examined, the majority of the participants (5) said that their plastic surgery was blepharoplasty. K1: “I had eye surgery, namely blepharoplasty. “Eyelid aesthetics is to make my eyes look bigger.” The majority of the participants (5) say they have had lip fillers. K11: “I had botox done in September 2022.”

Findings regarding the reasons for having plastic surgery are given in Table 2.

Table 2.

Reasons for having it done

When Table 2 was examined, it was determined that the most common (4) answers given by the participants as reasons for having plastic surgery were being healthy and looking beautiful. K4: "I had nose surgery because I fell in high school and broke my nose. I was hospitalized, and they operated on my nose to fix it. The bones were broken, and when it healed, it wasn't straight and looked ugly. I decided to have it corrected after I turned 18, and I had the surgery at the age of 21."

Data regarding from whom women who had plastic surgery received support are given in Table 3.

Table 3.

People supported

When Table 3 is examined, we can see that almost half of the participants (6) received support from the mothers of women who had plastic surgery. K4: “My mother always supported me during my surgery.”

Findings about how women who had plastic surgery felt after having it are given in Table 4.

Table 4.

Emotions felt after aesthetics

When Table 4 is examined, the majority of the participants (9) said that they were happy after having it done. K15: “I felt very happy.” Some participants also answered (4) I liked it. K13: “At first, I was scared when there was some pain and swelling, I was worried if something was wrong, but when the swelling and scar disappeared, I liked it.”

Findings about how women who had plastic surgery received reactions from the environment are given in Table 5.

Table 5.

Reactions from the environment

When Table 5 is examined, we can see that most of the participants (9) were well received by their environment. K7: “It was well received because it was normal and everyone was having it done.” Some (4) of the participants express that they do not like it. K2: “The people around me welcomed me well, they were my family anyway, but there were many people who said, 'You got it done, fake lips.'"

Result and Discussion

In this part of the research, the analysis results of the findings were compared with similar studies in the literature and interpreted on an institutional basis. This study focused on the aesthetic procedures the participants had undergone and obtained various findings. Based on our findings, it was concluded that the aesthetic procedures preferred by the participants showed a certain distribution. It was concluded that the most frequently preferred aesthetic procedures are blepharoplasty and lip filler, respectively. This finding revealed that individuals' attention to the face and eye area is higher compared to other aesthetic procedures.

According to the results obtained from the research findings, it was concluded that nose surgery and breast surgery were also popular among the participants. However, a certain subset of these procedures has been attended only once. This shows that individuals' aesthetic preferences are personal and variable. These findings highlight that the demands for plastic surgery are wide-ranging and reflect the diversity of personal aesthetic preferences. This suggests that cosmetic surgery should take a flexible approach to meet individuals' unique demands. However, considering the limitations of this study, it should be noted that future research on larger samples and different demographic groups may provide a more comprehensive understanding of aesthetic preferences and motivations.

Our study obtained important findings by examining the participants' reasons for having plastic surgery. According to our findings, the participants' most common reasons included the desire to be healthy and look beautiful, both of which were reported with equal frequency (n=4). This finding shows that plastic surgery is not only about external appearance, but can also be associated with psychological and emotional well-being.

The reasons for having plastic surgery due to the influence of social media and the environment are also noteworthy, as three participants stated this reason. This finding shows that today's digital world has a significant impact on how individuals perceive and evaluate themselves and their appearance. It has been determined that social media content imposes plastic surgery on individuals and that patients, especially those who are bombarded with visual content, find flaws in their bodies and turn to plastic surgery. According to the results obtained from the research findings, it has been concluded that it is important to consider the psychological dimension of the participants' reasons for having plastic surgery. Motivations such as coping with complexes, looking young, or impressing others have also been reported. These findings conclude that plastic surgery can affect not only physical changes but also psychological and social well-being.

When the sources from which the participants receive support are examined, it is seen that family members and especially mothers are the most common support providers. It has been determined that spouses are also an important source of support, but this support is not as common as mothers. On the other hand, it has been observed that some of them do not receive support from anyone and make their own decisions.

This study examined emotional reactions after having plastic surgery and shows that participants had an overall positive experience. The majority of participants stated that they felt happy after the surgery. This finding suggests that plastic surgery has a positive impact on individuals' perceived appearance.

These findings highlight that plastic surgery can impact individuals' emotional well-being and provide a mostly positive experience, but in some cases can lead to negative emotional responses. It is important for plastic surgeons to manage treatment plans and aftercare, taking into account the emotional needs of their patients.

This study examined how participants reacted to their environment after performing plastic surgery and revealed that there were various reactions. The majority of the participants stated that they were welcomed positively by those around them after the surgery. This finding shows that most people positively accept and support changes after plastic surgery.

References:

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